The cobra loose in Grand Prairie has taken to Twitter to state its case
The venomous snake that went missing in Grand Prairie has taken to Twitter to advocate for education about snakes, taunt authorities in their efforts to capture the serpent and give people a laugh.
It was bound to happen. There are too many good pop culture references to use, like the nemesis of G.I. Joe, Cobra, or the martial artists with a track record of questionable-at-best ethics from “Cobra Kai.”
Police and animal control in Grand Prairie have been searching for the African banded cobra since Tuesday, when it escaped from its owner’s house in the 1800 block of Cherry Street.
Grand Prairie police and firefighters notified area hospitals Tuesday of the missing snake, triggering a protocol with Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas to be prepared to treat any bites people receive from the snake.
A police spokesman said the snake is still evading arrest (actually he said it was “still on the run,” but that doesn’t seem as apropos) and the search is still on.
And while an African banded cobra bite isn’t a joke — a bite from the snake can be fatal if not treated immediately — the creator of the Twitter page is bringing some humor to an otherwise scary (understatement of the week?) situation.
The fictitious escapades of the cobra have taken it all over the place, like an unspecified bazaar where Grand Prairie Cobra (@CobraGrand), which we’ll just call GPC for now, had a rather uncomfortable family reunion.
“I THINK I saw my cousin, who is now a pair of boots, NOT cool,” the account tweeted.
GPC has taken some breaks to watch “Karate Kid” and found that it relates to the ideology of Cobra Kai, tweeting, “Strike first, strike hard, no mercy!”
And the snake has opened up about its battle with body dysmorphia and how photos in the news have exacerbated the struggle.
“The camera does add ten pounds,” GPC tweeted.
It’s even posted a selfie, wearing a top hat and with a well-grown mustache.
The snake has a Twitterverse nemesis outside the authorities trying to track it down, too.
The Grand Prairie mongoose Twitter, or @GrandMongoose, is hunting for the snake. Mongooses — not mongeese, we double checked just to be sure — are natural predators to venomous snakes.
The Grand Prairie Cobra (or, rather the human behind the Twitter who stayed in character the whole time) declined a phone interview, citing fears the authorities may trace its calls.
The cobra said it created the Twitter to defend itself and its species.
“After the initial news reports I couldn’t stand by and let them drag my species through the mud,” the anonymous tweeter said in a message on the social media platform. “I’m honestly scared myself and should be left alone. I mean no harm and hope the metroplex can embrace me as their own.”
But, the snake Twitter manager said, it is important to stay away and while the snake shouldn’t be punished for existing, if you see it, you should call 911.
GPC did say it’s important for parents to make sure their kids know not to go anywhere near it, should they see it.
“Kids should definitely stay away. But kids, we snakes are cool,” GPC said in a Twitter direct message. “Just have a parent take you to the Fort Worth Zoo and see other snakes and learn more about us.”
Grand Prairie police agree on that point. They’ve gone to Twitter themselves and urged anybody who sees any venomous snake, which the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department says is a prohibited animal to own under Dallas County rules, should get away from it and call 911.
Grand Prairie police said the owner had a state permit, but the Parks and Wildlife Department said Wednesday that the municipality where the owner lives prohibits people from owning this type of snake.
Statewide, Texans can typically own nonvenomous snakes unless their county dictates otherwise. But snakes that are not native to Texas or are considered exotic and venomous require a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department-issued permit and must be acceptable under county rules in order to be owned. African rock pythons, Asiatic rock pythons, green anacondas, reticulated pythons and Southern African pythons are among those considered dangerous and exotic.
The snake’s owner, who asked not to be identified, told KXAS-TV that he thinks the cobra could have gotten caught inside the walls of his house and died, or died outside from the heat.
“I did make a mistake and I feel very sorry for the community,” the owner told NBC 5.
He told the TV station he had been feeding a rat to the snake when he left his home to get more food. “I left to go get food for my other animals down the street and I came back, and the cage door was open by an inch,” he said. “She must have found a way to open it up.”
The West African banded cobra is a subspecies of the forest cobra that was only recently determined to be its own species by a research group out of Bangor University’s School of Natural Science, according to a press release from the university in 2018. The forest cobra group is considered one of the most venomous snakes in the world.
Venom from this snake causes progressive descending paralysis that, in severe cases, ends with respiratory arrest and death, according to the the National Center for Biotechnology Information. Fortunately, according to the African Snake Bite Institute, the forest cobra is shy and bites are rare. When cornered, the snake will lift its head off the ground and spread a narrow hood.
The typical treatment for snake bites is an anti-venom treatment supplied by a medical facility. If someone is bitten by a venomous snake, call 911 immediately and follow the following steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Lie or sit down with the bite in a neutral position of comfort.
- Remove rings and watches before swelling starts.
- Wash the bite with soap and water.
- Cover the bite with a clean, dry dressing.
- Mark the leading edge of tenderness/swelling on the skin and write the time alongside it.
Staff writer Kaley Johnson contributed to this report.
This story was originally published August 6, 2021 at 12:48 PM.